When "Paradise City" first showed up on this blog, it was the frame of reference of a college teenager who associated it with Panama City. What would I consider "Paradise City" today? I now tend to avoid places highly trafficked by drunk tourists. That sort of eliminates similar locales like Key West or Daytona.
And New Orleans. Don't send hate mail. I love the Big Easy as much as any true blue southerner. With Mardi Gras, the French Quarter, and the slap-yo-momma silly cuisine on its CV, it's definitely a destination city. I just wouldn't want to live there. The same goes for its sister city Mobile. Their Mardi Gras and restaurants can stand toe to toe with the Crescent City, and I've got more of a bond with the place having lived there a while. It just doesn't have that "Paradise City" vibe.
I did a brief stint in Birmingham and enjoyed it. The city is laid out in a logical grid so navigating it is easy. It's also surrounded by a number of neighborhoods that each have their unique flair and character. But, similar to other southern metropolitan centers like Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, they're too far from the water.
That kind of makes Annapolis a front-runner. It's got a small-town feel that I prefer and sits literally right on the water - I'd have no excuse to not be out kayaking or sailing. 'Nap town and I definitely have a long history, with memories and ghosts in abundance. It's a shame that house prices are in the stratosphere.
Andrea has mentioned Savannah. On the plus side, it's coastal and southern. But I've never been there. That's actually a fantastic reason to add it to our travel itinerary.
If we're talking "Paradise City - the Ex-Pat Edition", the list would include Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia; Victoria, British Columbia, or Inverness, Scotland. I could easily see myself getting into the local pub scene and regaling regulars with tales of sunnier and more humid climes. "You blokes stood around and begged for chintzy plastic beads?!"
In the early '80's I happened to be at the high school shortly after a graduation ceremony. I saw one of the former seniors from the neighborhood stride to his car, rip off his tie, and yell, "Later, Long Beach!" as he spun out of the parking lot. I never saw him again. There was a lot of this sentiment when it came time for my class to pick up our diplomas. Whether it was college, a job, or the military, there was a huge diaspora from the class of '87. Even one of my former teachers mentioned it at one of our reunions.
I've noted something in recent years. Whether it's to be closer to family or it's a feeling of nostalgia driving them, quite a few from my class are returning to the coast. It seems for a lot of former Bearcats, Long Beach has become the once and future "Paradise City".
"Paradise City" - Guns-n-Roses
No comments:
Post a Comment